We�re Not Moved By Mills� Plea�We Can�t Work For 101 Hours Without Pay � GMA

The National Executive Committee of the Ghana Medical Association has stated emphatically that nothing will move them to call off their strike action until their grievances with the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) are resolved. Clearly not moved by persistent calls including that of President John Atta Mills for them to return to the wards, the GMA says they will now not accept any more emergency cases at the various public hospitals nationwide. According to them �the major issues that resulted in the withdrawal of services by doctors in the public sector still remain unresolved�. The GMA has been striking since last Friday over what they termed the inability of the FWSC to look into their demands. Consequently, the National Labour Commission has ordered them to rescind their decision while a compulsory arbitration is carried out. President Atta Mills during his three-day tour of Greater Accra also added his voice for the doctors to exercise restraint since the NPP government did not leave any money for the implementation of the policy they inherited. But at a press conference addressed by the President of GMA, Dr. Emmanuel Adom Winful, said they will intensify the strike action by NOT attending to emergencies, urging �members of the GMA to be steadfast in their decision and keep faith in the leadership of the GMA as they go through these turbulent times�. They blamed the unfolding drama on the FWSC, stressing that �the FWSC have proved that they are not professionally capable of producing a salary structure based on scientific analysis and evaluation�. They accused the FWSC of resorting to the use of sentiments rather than scientific approach in determining the grades of doctors on the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS). �It is clear from the stance of the FWSC that they are either not ready or not in a position to find solutions to the grievances raised by GMA. The FWSC have resorted to the use of sentiments rather than a scientific approach in determining the grades of doctors on the SSSS. The FWSC have shown that they are not professionally capable of producing a salary structure based on scientific analysis and evaluation�. According to him, �whilst the FWSC and government accept the fact that doctors work for 201 additional hours per month by their own analysis, the FWSC and government have decided to pay for only 100 hours and are asking doctors to work for another 101 hours for free. � They stated emphatically that the consequence of this protracted labour unrest should be blamed on the FWSC and for that matter the government.